Hi All,
I've been lurking in the weeds for some time and have found this venue to be the most knowledgeable, helpful, and courteous forum on the block. And, I know this question has been asked and answered so many times, but I hope you all have the patience for one more dip to the well to answer mine.
It is time for a new table saw. I once had a 60's Craftsman, with a cast top and cast grid wings, but it was grossly under-powered, had a crappy fence and miter gauge, and was unstable - falling to the motor side when feeding sheet goods. Try catching 200 pounds of table saw whirring away with a sheet of ply balancing on it - that's safe, huh? Somehow, I managed to do some nice work with it.
Anyway, it has been gone for 10 years and now it is time to build a new shop. My footprint is a 2 1/2 car garage that will serve as the shop when building, but the machinery will be moved against the wall when idle to house a pickup. For a new saw, I would like to pay $1,500, but already realize it will probably be $2K - $2,500, which is hard to swallow for someone who paid nearly nothing 40 years ago. I need precision cuts as I will be building kitchen cabinets. I already learned my lesson about heft, so I already know a heavy saw is in order. A few questions, please?
1) Cabinet or Hybrid? If Hybrid, I don't want to have to jack-around with trunnions all the time.
2) 52" rails and wing?
3) If the answer to #2 is yes, some saws come with long rails, but no wing insert - what to do?
4) Is a router wing worth having, and is there a generic that fits most saws, or are they saw-specific?
5) I have 220V, so should I skip the 2HP models and go right to 3HP? (Probably a stupid question...)
6) Finally, what are your favorite models? New and used are both acceptable. So much has changed and my head is whirling like the blade on the falling Craftsman... Saw Stop will not be an option; I will rely on my discipline to keep all Ten.
I appreciate all advice, suggestions, and comments.
Thanks,
John